Maharaja Sher Singh (1807 - 1843)

Sher Singh Maharaja, Sikh
sovereign of the Punjab from January 1841 until his death in September 1843, was the son
of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, born on 4 December 1807 to Mahitab Kaur, the Maharaja's first
wife. Sher Singh grew up into a handsome, broad-chested young man. His soldierly mien made
him popular with the army. He loved hunting and hawking, and devoted attention to cultivating
European interests and hobbies in the company of foreigners serving at the Sikh court. In 1829,
Maharaja
Ranjit Singh conferred upon him civil and military honours and the privilege of sitting
on a chair in the Darbar. Sher Singh took part in many of the campaigns undertaken by the
Maharaja for the expansion of his kingdom. In May 1831, he defeated at Balakot, in Hazara
district the turbulent Sayyid Ahmad Barelavi who had started a jihad against the Sikh
rule. From 1831 to 1834 he acted as governor of the province of Kashmir. He was one of the
army commanders who led in 1834 forces in Peshawar and who finally seized the city from the
Afghans.

In the political vacuum cretaed by the
deaths in November 1840 successively of Maharaja Kharak Singh and his son Kanvar Nau Nihal Singh,
Sher Singh staked his claim to the throne of the Punjab. Another major contestent was Rani Chand
Kaur, Kharak Singh's widow, who sent for Gulab Singh Dogra from Jammu to counteract the influence of his
brother, Raja Dhian Singh, who had declared support for Sher Singh. Dhian singh suggested several
compromises. Chand Kaur could marry Sher Singh or, being childless could adopt Sher Singh's son Pratap
Singh as her son. However, Chand Kaur asserted that Nau Nihal Singh's widow was pregnant and might
give birth to a rightful successor. Ultimately an arrangement was arrived at under which Chand Kaur
was to act as regent for her expected grandson, while Sher Singh would function as vice-regent and head of
the council of regency, and Dhian Singh as the principal minister. But the triumvirate failed to
work in unison. A few days later, two powerful Sandhanvalia Sardars, Atar Singh and Ajit Singh,
collaterals of the royal contenders for the throne, arrived in Lahore and took over control. On 2
December 1840, Chand Kaur was proclaimed the Maharani of the Punjab, with the title of Malika
Muqaddasa, emperess immaculate. The next day Sher singh left Lahore for his estate in Batala.
A month later, Dhian Singh Dogra was compelled to quit the capital, and Chand Kaur
and the Sadhanvalias gained complete control of the administration.

Sher Singh still had the support
of the army and most of the crack regiments had gone over to his side. The European officers
were with him too. In January, 1841, he arrived in Lahore with at the head of a considerable
force. Chand Kaur had appointed Gulab Singh Dogra as commander-in-chief and charged him
with defending the city. She cleared the soldiers arrears of pay for four months, and lavished
presents of gold bangles, necklaces and shawls on the officers. She issued orders to the
city bankers forbidding them to lend money to Sher singh. But the situation turned decisively
in favour of Sher Singh, when regiments stationed outside the city-walls joined him in a body.
He finally had with him 26,000 infrantry, 8,000 horses, and 45 guns, whereas Chand Kaur was
left with only 5,000 men, a few guns and a limited quantity of gunpowder.

Sher Singh forced his way into the
city, and made a proclaimation assuring safety of life and property to the citizens and offering
pardon to those who would come over to him. The leading courtiers made their submission
and forwarded a joint appeal to Chand Kaur and Gulab Singh Dogra to lay down arms. The Maharani,
however chose to fight. For two days, Sher Singh's artillery shelled the fort, but with little
effect. On the evening of 17 January 1841, Dhian Singh Dogra arrived and secured a ceasefire. Chand
Kaur was persuaded to accept a jagir and relinquish her claim to the throne. At midnight Gulab
Singh dogra and his soldiers evacuated the Fort, taking with them all the State's hoard of gold
and jewels. From among the Sandhanvalia supporters of Chand Kaur, Ajit Singh fled to seek
help from Mr Cler, British political agent in Ludhiana, and, on his refusal to receive him, he proceeded
to calcutta to see the Governor-General. Ajit Singh's uncle, Atar Singh, also sought asylum
in the British territory.

Sher Singh occupied the fort and ascended
the throne on 20 January 1841, though the formal tilak (anointment) ceremony was performed
a week later on 27 January by Baba Bikrama Singh Bedi of Una. His son Kanvar Pratap Singh, received a
Khillat as heir apparent and Dhian Singh Dogra as Wazir or minister. In the second half of July,
Sher Sigh married the daughter of the Raja of Suket. Known in the palace as Rani Dukno, she earned
fame as one of the most beautiful women of her time. The match was made on the recommendation
of Lahina Singh Majithia woh conducted the preparatory negotiations.

Sher Singh forbore from taking
any reprisals and treated generously even those who had opposed him. Through a proclamation
by the beat of drum, he assured the people of Lahore peace and security. The army was warned
not to molest the citizens in any manner, and the commanders were cautioned exercise maximum
vigilance to this end. But since the Maharaja was not able to redeem his promises of rewards
to the troops(as Gulab Singh Dogra had stole and carried away the state treasury to Jammu),
they went berserk, killing regimental accountants and officers, who they suspected of having
embezzled their wages or having dealings with the English, and plundering the city. As the
prestige of the Darbar declined, the men of the army arose to have their voice heard in
matter of state. The one institution with which they were familiar was the Panchayat the
council of elders which regulated the affairs in their villages. The system was imported into
the army, and each regiment began to elect his own panches whose duty was to deliberate on
the orders of the commanding officer and then to make their recommendations to the men.
This seriously affected discipline in the army.

The British from across the
border might have intervened in the affairs of Maharaja Sher Singh's administration,
but they were prevented from doing so by a sudden turn of events in Afghanistan which
British had occupied earlier with the active help of the Sikhs under the Tripartite Treaty
of 1938, placing Shah Shuja on the throne of Kabul. In a bloody rising in Kabul in the
autumn of 1841, Shah Shuja was murdered and the British army of occupation was annihilated.
For the recovery of Afghanistan, Lord Ellenborough, the governor-general, sought
(spring 1842) the cooperation of the Sikhs. Reassured that the Sandhanvalia refugees in
the British territory would not be allowed to disturb his reign, Sher Singh was persuaded
to assist. The purchase of grain and hire of carriage cattle in the Punjab were facilitated,
and a division of 5,000 Sikhs helped force the Khyber pass. Sher Singh allowed Dost
Mohammad khan, with whom the Sikhs crossed swords in many battle and whom the British
were escorting to Kabul for the installation as they new king. The Lahore Darbar
signed a separate treaty with Dost Muhammad Khan as the Amir of Afghanistan.

A notable event
during Sher Singh's reign was the conquest of the Ladakh valley which was
strategically very important and which made the frontier secure against expanding
influence of China. A Sikh expedition under the Dogra General Zorawar Singh,
marched towards Tibet. Garo and Rudok wre occupied and Lhasa armies attacked. Although
the expedition did not make much headway owing to premature snowfall and difficult
and unfamiliar terrain, a treaty of peace was signed on 17 September 1842 between the
representative of Khalsa darbar and the representative of the Chinese emperor. It
was agreed that the traditional boundaries of Ladakh and Tibet would be considered
inviolable by both parties and trade, particularly of tea and Pashmina wool,
would, as in the past, pass through Ladakh.

In March 1842, Mr Clerk of the Ludhiana
political agency had led a diplomatic mission to Amritsar to condole with Maharaja
Sher Singh on the death of his predecessor and congratulate him upon his accession.
He also took the oppurtunity of interceding on behalf of the Sandhanvalias, Atar Singh
and Ajit Singh, who had formallly sought th eMaharaja's permission for returning to
the Punjab. In September 1842 a letter was received from Ajit Singh announcing "his intention
to come to Lahore for presenting himself before the Shahzada (Sher Singh)." Sher Singh
gave his approval for the return of the fugitives. Baba Bikram Singh of Una placed them
under solemn oaths. On his standing surety for them, Sher singh pardoned them. Ajit
Singh arrived in Lahore on 17 November 1842, followed by Atar Singh. Amnesty was also
extended to Lahina Singh Sandhanvalia and Kehar Singh Sandhanvalia who were released
from confinement in the Mukerian Fort.

Although Sher Singh had shown
magnamity in allowing Atar Singh and Ajit Singh to return to the Punjab and to resume their
accustomed positions at the court, they were not reconciled to him. Their original nominee
for the throne of the Punjab, Mai Chand Kaur, whose cause they had persistently espoused even
after crossing over tothe British territory, was now dead (9 June 1842), yet they continued to nurture
a feeling of hostility towards Sher Singh. This culminated in a murderous plot. On 15 September
1842, the Maharaja rode out of the city early in the morning, that being a sankrant the
first day of the Bikrami month, there was no darbar for him to attend. He alighted near Tej Singh's
garden where tents were put up for his son, Kanvar Partap Singh. To fulfill the morning's
engagement, he moved on the Shah Balaval where sittingin the baradari or pleasure
house, he witnessed wrestling-bouts, with Diwan Dina Nath and Buddh Singh, his armour-bearer,
in attendance. After he had dismissed the wrestlers with due charity, the Sandhanvalia
Sardars, who had followed him with 150 horse and 300 foot, requested him to inspect their
troops. Totally without suspicion, Sher Singh agreed and came out of the room. After
the parade, Ajit Singh sought his permission to show him a carbine he had obtained from an Englishman in
Calcutta. As the Maharaja who was a great lover of weapons put forth his hands to take hold of
the rifle, Ajit Singh pressed the triggers and emptied the loaded barrels into his chest. "Oh, Sardar,
What deception?" was all the Maharaja could say as he dropped to the ground dead. Ajit Singh
rushed forward and cut off his head with a single blow of the sword. The shots that killed
Sher Singh were a signal for the elder Sandhanvalia, Lahina Singh, to pounce upon the 12-year old
Son of Maharaja Sher Singh, in the nearby Tej Singh garden, and hack off his head.

Sher Singh was survived by his
son Sahdev Singh, born to Rani Dukno in 1843, who, after the annexation of the Punjab in
1849, accompanied the deported king, Duleep Singh, to Fatehgarh in Uttar Pardesh. Descendants
of Sahdev Singh, his son Basdev Singh and daughter Harbans Kaur (later married to the Rana of
Dhaulpur), lived at Rae Bareli.